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This week’s episode of NXT was headlined by the NXT Championship match between Bobby Roode and Roderick Strong. Johnny Gargano’s long-awaited return to NXT also got announced.
Kassius Ohno and Hideo Itami vs Alexander Wolfe and Killian Dain
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Wolfe and Dain’s actions last week led to Kassius Ohno and Hideo Itami teaming up this week for this match.
Ohno and Wolfe locked up to start us off with Ohno taking control quickly. Ohno pushed Wolfe into the corner and hit him with multiple kicks before tagging Itami in. Itami hit Wolfe with a high boot before hitting a tornado DDT over the ropes. He then hit Dain, who was on the apron, with a boot. Wolfe regrouped and snapped Itami’s neck against the top rope. Dain tagged himself in hit Itami with boots as we cut to an ad break.
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Wolfe was firmly in control when we headed back from the ad break. He stomped Itami before hitting a big splash for a 2-count. When Itami finally got back in control, he refused to tag in Kassius Ohno, who was in place on the apron. Itami hit Wolfe with a Falcon Arrow and went for a cover but Dain hit him with a running Senton.
Ohno ran in at this point to take on Dain. Wolfe came in at this point and hit Ohno with a running boot. Itami saw Wolfe coming and hit him with kicks but Dain got a blind tag. Itami hit the Go 2 Sleep but Dain ran in and hit Itami with a devastating running crossbody before pinning him for the 3-count.
Alexander Wolfe and Killian Dain def. Kassius Ohno and Hideo Itami
After the first match, we got footage from earlier in the day. Ember Moon was in the Performance Center giving interviews when she was interrupted by Ruby Riot. Ruby said that she was next in line for the NXT Women’s Championship before walking away.
We got a promo video showing the breakup of DIY at NXT TakeOver: Chicago before we learnt that Johnny Gargano would be returning to NXT next week.learnt that Johnny Gargano would be returning to NXT next week.
We got another backstage segment with NXT’s iconic duo Billie Kay and Peyton Royce. They were being interviewed in the Performance Center and were complaining about how Billie Kay didn’t get a birthday celebration when we saw Andrade ‘Cien’ Almas coming in with a woman. The duo were arguing but we never found out why.were arguing but we never found out why.in the Performance Center and were complaining about how Billie Kay didn’t get a birthday celebration when we saw Andrade ‘Cien’ Almas coming in with a woman. The duo were arguing but we never found out why.
We got video highlights of Bianca BelAir taking on Aliyah in a Mae Young Classic qualifying match. Check out the highlights below
Bobby Roode vs Roderick Strong (for the NXT Championship)
NXT built up this match for weeks and even had Roddy’s fiancé and mother at ringside for this championship match to add an extra layer of tension.
The two men lock up in a collar and elbow to begin and Roddy followed it up by powering Roode back into the corner. Following a clean break, Roode had Roddy in a headlock before switching it around and taking him down before disrespectfully slapping the challenger across the back of the head.challenger across the back of the head.
Roode followed it up by taunting Roddy in the middle of the ring before Roddy nearly took the champ’s head off with a dropkick. Strong followed it up with chops in the corner before hitting another dropkick for a 1-count. Roode bailed out of the ring and staggered towards the entrance ramp but Roddy followed him out and dragged him back to the ring. Roode got the upper hand through his shenanigans and hit a Half Nelson Backbreaker as we headed to another commercial break.
When we came back to the action, Strong was back in control as he hit a back suplex to Roode. Roddy follows it up with chops in the corner but he ended up eating a blockbuster from Bobby Roode for his troubles before smashing Strong into the corner. Roode followed it up with more strikes before hitting the challenger with another Half Nelson which sends him rolling out of the ring. Roode followed it with a slingshot dropkick that sent Roddy falling onto the entrance ramp.
A scuffle followed at ringside as Strong’s foot got caught between the stairs and the ring. Roode hit the stairs with a massive boot damaging Strong’s foot in the process. Roode then rolled Strong back into the ring and started working on his knee.
Strong’s family watched on as Roode took complete control. Strong started his comeback following a shinbreaker from the champion, he hit Roode with strikes before reversing another shinbreaker with a sunset flip before Roode almost decapitated the challenger with a lariat as we headed to one last ad break.
Bobby Roode was in complete control again after the break. Strong was having trouble standing by this point but he was powering through. He reversed an Irish Whip and hit a roundhouse kick before following it up with an Angle Slam. Roode hit back with more kicks to Strong’s knee but he rolls Roode up for a 2-count.
Roode hit back with a Spinebuster before hitting a double knee gutbuster but it still wasn’t enough to keep Strong down. Roode looked to wrap Roddy’s leg around the ringpost but he hit Roode with a backbreaker into the turnbuckle with the champ ending up outside the ring.
Strong rolled him back into the ring and covered him for a 2-count. Roddy went for a jumping knee but Roode dodged it and hit the Glorious DDT but Roode kicked out at the last second. A frustrated Bobby Roode trash talks Strong’s family but Roody hits him with an enzeguiri. He follows it up with a corner knee and a suplex before hitting End Of Heartache for the 3-count.
It looked like we had a new NXT Champion but it wasn’t to be. As Strong celebrated with his family, the referee explained to him that Roode’s foot was under the rope. Realizing what was happening before his opponent, Roode hit Strong with a Glorious DDT in front of his family before rolling him back into the ring and pinning him.
Bobby Roode def. Roderick Strong
